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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2023
• Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 12 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements • Vol. 57 No. 27
Baldwin Water
Wars set Sat.
The City of Baldwin
will hold Water Wars from
2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on
June 10 at Mitchell Gailey
Park.
“Bring your water guns
and a towel to beat the
heat with city staff and our
neighbors,” organizers state.
Refill stations will be
posted around the park.
This is a free event.
Chamber CVB
golf tourney
planned Sept. 29
The Banks County
Chamber of Commerce
CVB annual golf tourna
ment will be held Sept. 29
at Double Oaks Golf Club.
Commerce.
The shotgun start will be
at 8:30 a.m. The fee is $400
for teams and $100 for in
dividuals. Lunch will be
served at the clubhouse.
For registration, call 706-
335-4866.
Board of
health to meet
The Banks County Board
of Health will hold a regular
meeting on Tuesday, June
13, at 9 a.m. in the confer
ence room of the Banks
County Health Department,
667 Thompson Street, Ho
mer.
Summer meal
program to be
offered
Free summer meals will
be offered to youth through
out the community June
5-22. The meals are avail
able to youth ages 18 and
under.
Breakfast is offered from
7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Lunch is offered from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
LOCATIONS
•Banks County High
School, 1486-A Historic
Homer Highway.
•Banks County Public Li
brary, 226 Ga.-51 South.
•Banks County Elemen
tary School, 180 Ga.-51
South.
•Banks County Middle
School, 712 Thompson
Street.
For more information,
call the school food and
nutrition department at 706-
677-2224.
MAILING LABEL
Jaemor Farms to close Banks Crossing location
Moving Banks Crossing staff
to Alto to offer new services
and pop-up locations
Jaemor Farms has announced the closure of their Banks
Crossing location as of July 1 in order to offer new services
at their long-standing Alto location.
“Over the past 10 years, our market in Banks Crossing
has been very successful in creating a quality deli menu
and driving both individual and corporate orders,” said
Drew Echols, general manager at Jaemor Farms. “In or
der to help facilitate that growth, they needed more kitchen
space. We believe moving this effort to our Alto location
provides that space as well as additional reach across north
Georgia.”
On July 1, staff from the Banks Crossing location will
relocate to Jaemor Farms’ primary location in Alto. The
existing barn space is being renamed to “The Eatery at Jae
mor Farms” and will provide fresh sandwiches, salads and
meal offerings year-round.
“While we are sad to close our market in Banks Cross
ing, this opportunity will allow us to provide additional
food service to a variety of new communities,” said Carli
Echols Jones, agritourism and marketing manager at Jae
mor Farms. “In addition, by moving our team back to our
base location in Alto, we’re going to offer new and exciting
opportunities for fresh produce at pop-up markets across
north Georgia.”
According to Jaemor Farms staff, pop-up locations are
currently in discussion across north Georgia ranging from
Banks Crossing, Alpharetta. Duluth and Gainesville. In
formation regarding localized pop-up markets will be pub
lished on Jaemor’s website as well as their social media
platforms.
Jaemor Farms is a family owned and operated business
that has been producing produce for more than 100 years.
Photo by Angela Gary
Jaemor Farms is closing its Banks Crossing location. The Alto location will be ex
panded to include a deli.
Banks Rotary Salutes tickets on sale for June 14 event
To celebration First Responders
and Community Leaders to be
at annual event
The Rotary Club of Banks
County has announced that
general admission tickets to
this year’s Rotary Salutes
event are now on sale. The
fourth annual distinguished
service awards luncheon,
in honor of our local first
responders and communi
ty leaders, will take place
on Wednesday, June 14,
beginning at 11:45 a.m., at
the Hidden Acres Wedding
& Event Bam facility near
Gillsville, GA.
The ticket price is $25.
“We want to invite the
community to come and
join us as we shine a spot
light on very deserving first
responders, educators, and
community leaders,” said
Rick Billingslea, Banks
County Rotary Club Pres
ident. “The ticket price
merely covers the catering
cost of the meal, so we in
vite the public to join us
for lunch and to support the
value of service in our com
munity.”
The award categories
will include the following:
Brother Jim McLendon Me
morial Scholarship, Com
munity Leadership Award,
Distinguished Service
Award, Educational Impact
Award, Public Safety Unit
of the Year Award, Merit
Award, Public Safety Pro
fessional of the Year Award,
Lifesaving Award and the
Award for Valor!
Among the underlying
objectives of the event will
be to promote civic re
sponsibility and encourage
residents of Banks County
to step forward and show
pride, support each other,
and do more to build a better
community.
Tickets can be obtained
from any Banks County
Rotarian or by emailing:
B anksCounty Rotary @
gmail.com
The Banks County Rotary
Club was originally char
tered in November 2009 and
currently includes 28 total
members.
The primary club project
and initiative is the Food-2-
Kids Program in the Banks
County Schools.
The club meets every
Wednesday at noon in the
Homer Fire Station. For
more information about the
club visit the Banks County
Rotary Club page on Face-
book: fb.me/BanksRotary
Banks County Rotary
is part of a global network
of volunteers dedicated to
tackling the world’s most
pressing humanitarian chal
lenges.
Rotary International con
nects 1.4 million members
of more than 35,000 Rotary
Clubs in over 200 countries
and regions, all working to
ward fulfilling their motto
“Service Above Self.”
Their work improves lives
at both the local and interna
tional levels, from helping
families in need in their own
communities to eradicating
polio across the world, lead
ers state.
For more information,
visit Rotary.org.
BOC holds hearing on proposed $23 million budget
Vote on budget to be taken
at June 13 BOC meeting
The Banks County Board of Commissioners held a budget hearing Monday night.
Action on the budget is expected to be taken at the June 13 meeting, to be held at
6:30 p.m. in the Annex Building.
By ANGELA GARY
angela@mainstreetnews.com
The Banks County Board
of Commissioners present
ed a proposed $23.7 million
budget at a hearing held
Monday evening to receive
public input.
“We tried to keep the
budget as low as possible.”
county finance director
Randy Failyer stated.
He added, “I know we
have an increase. It is just
that everything that you buy
now has gone up. I think the
commissioners have done a
real good job in maintain
ing expenses as best that we
could.”
Action has not been tak
en on the millage rate yet,
but BOC chairman Charles
Turk said plans are to “roll
it back.”
“I would like to thank all
the department heads for
keeping their budgets as low
as possible.” he said. “We
haven’t got the final figures
from the state yet but our
goal is to roll the millage
rate back.”
At the budget hearing,
several people asked what a
few of the line items in the
budget include. The meet
ing was only 10 minutes,
being closed after no one
else came to the podium to
speak.
EXPENDITURES
The largest expenditure
items, those over $1 mil
lion include: sheriff and jail
operations. $7.1 million;
fire services, $4.8 million;
E-911/EMA, $1.3 million;
and utilities pumping and
purification, $1 million.
As for revenue, the top
items include the following:
property tax. $4.7 million;
local option sales tax, $4
million; solid waste dispos
al fees, $3.1 million; public
utilities, $2.5 million; motor
vehicle taxes, $1.4 million;
and insurance premium,
$1.3 million.
COURT SERVICES
The proposed budget has
$100,800 allocated for Su
perior Court services, which
was a point of discussion at
earlier budget hearings with
department heads.
A representative of the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit
attended that earlier meet
ing to request $388,420 be
budgeted from Banks Coun
ty-
County leaders did not
agree with this.
After plans to move into
the Mountain Judicial Cir
cuit failed, in part due to
opposition from the Supe
rior Court judges serving
Banks County through the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit,
the BOC made plans to
significantly lower funds in
the next fiscal year to cover
court services.
TO VOTE JUNE 13
The BOC will consid
er adoption of the budget
when it meets at 6:30 p.m.
on Tuesday, June 13.
The budget is available
for public review in the
BOC office in the Coun
ty Annex in Homer from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays
through Fridays.
